A runner-up finish at the Waste Management Phoenix Open has vaulted Branden Grace up 41 places in the Presidents Cup standings.
That encouraging result planted Grace directly in the conversation at No 10 in the International Team standings. The same position on the opposite side is occupied by Rickie Fowler, the man who edged the South African in the exciting final round.
A three-time Presidents Cup competitor, Grace owns a 6-6-2 overall record and became the fifth player in Presidents Cup history to post a 5-0 mark with his stellar play at the 2015 Presidents Cup in Korea. That year, Grace partnered with fellow South African Louis Oosthuizen, the only automatic pick at the moment, to win four points, and finished off the flawless performance with a 2-and-1 Singles victory over Matt Kuchar.
Elsewhere in the International Team standings, Jason Day finished T4 in the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am to move inside the coveted top 8 at No 7, while 2017 Presidents Cup rookie Si Woo Kim jumped from No 45 to No 21 with a T4 result of his own.
Marc Leishman remains atop the International Team standings and is now trailed by China’s Haotong Li, whose recent runner-up result in the Saudi International on the European Tour vaulted him from No 6 to No 2 in the standings.
Li is aiming to become the first player from China to compete in the Presidents Cup.
On the US side, Xander Schauffele continues to lead the standings, thanks in part to two victories in the season. He is trailed by Justin Thomas, who moved into second following a solo third performance at the Waste Management Phoenix Open.
The top 15 players in the International and US Presidents Cup Team standings:
INTERNATIONAL
Rank Player Country Points
1. Marc Leishman Australia 104.20
1. Marc Leishman Australia 104.20
2. Haotong Li China 88.37
3. Cameron Smith Australia 87.47
4. Louis Oosthuizen South Africa 81.03
5. Hideki Matsuyama Japan 76.86
6. Abraham Ancer Mexico 71.15
7. Jason Day Australia 63.80
8. Shugo Imahira Japan 63.77
9. Shaun Norris South Africa 55.05
10. Branden Grace South Africa 54.95
11. Emiliano Grillo Argentina 53.42
12. Jazz Janewattananond Thailand 52.23
13. Adam Scott Australia 50.99
14. Adam Hadwin Canada 49.68
15. Justin Harding South Africa 44.74
UNITED STATES
Rank Player Points
1. Xander Schauffele 4,325
2. Justin Thomas 4,314
3. Bryson DeChambeau 4,160
4. Brooks Koepka 3,591
5. Dustin Johnson 3,488
6. Phil Mickelson 3,321
7. Matt Kuchar 3,282
8. Gary Woodland 3,167
9. Tony Finau 3,163
10. Rickie Fowler 3,099
11. Webb Simpson 2,827
12. Patrick Cantlay 2,697
13. Charles Howell III 2,526
14. Bubba Watson 2,365
15. Patrick Reed 2,301
Internationals eligibility criteria*
The top eight international players from the Presidents Cup International Team Points List, which shall be Official World Golf Ranking points accumulated in the time period from 27 August 2018 (Dell Technologies Championship) through 25 August 2019 (TOUR Championship).
Four captain’s selections will be made on a date to be determined later.
